Finding the Way Home
by Settiai
Summary: When DG had woken up that morning, jumping off a cliff hadn't exactly been on her to-do list.


DG felt a rush of exhilaration as she fell, cool air rushing past her much too quickly. It was mixed in with a healthy dose of terror - she'd just _jumped_ from a _cliff_ - but something inside of her was giddily excited. She felt as if she was flying, more so than she ever had riding her motorcycle.

Then she hit the water.

It was colder than she had expected. Wherever she was, winter must have just ended. The air was driven from her lungs as she sank, and she gasped without thinking. Water poured into her mouth, some of it trickling down her throat as she frantically tried to reorient herself. Up, down . . . which way was the surface?

Panic welled up inside her. She suddenly remembered Kyle Jenson's pool party back in fifth grade, when several of her classmates had thought it would be fun to hold her under water. She'd broken two of their noses and given Kyle a black eye before it was all said and done, but nightmares had still plagued her for months. This was ten times worse. At least back then a distant part of her brain had known that the adults wouldn't let her drown. But now . . .

Two strong arms suddenly wrapped around her, and the next thing DG knew she was gasping for air. Water poured from her mouth as she coughed, trying to expel it from her lungs.

"Easy, easy." Someone brushed her hair out of her face, and she found herself staring into Glitch's worried eyes. "Are you okay?

DG nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and he smiled. His entire face seemed to light up when he did. Still holding onto her, Glitch started swimming toward the water's edge. She let herself be carried along, kicking enough that she kept above water but otherwise letting him lead her. Glancing up, she bit back the urge to gasp when she saw just how far they'd fallen. As it was, her breathing hitched slightly. Glitch's grip on her strengthened reassuringly.

As soon as they reached the bank, Glitch climbed out of the water and half-pulled her out behind him. DG collapsed into a heap the moment she was out of the river, gasping for breath as she stared up at the bright blue sky. A few seconds later, Glitch's face appeared in her line of sight. "Are you okay?" he repeated worriedly.

"You already asked me that," DG pointed out, giving him a weak smile.

Glitch nodded, and she saw a spark of . . . something in his eyes. Something that made her think that he was telling the truth about having been someone important once upon a time. "I remember," he said, sounding almost startled. "It's just that you didn't really answer the first time."

DG's smiled grew a little brighter. "I'm fine, Glitch," she said, reassuringly patting his hand. "Just give me a few seconds to catch my breath."

He smiled back, though it was a bit tentative. Then he cocked his head. "I can't remember," he said slowly, "but was it just the two of us who went swimming?"

Eyes wide, DG sat up. "Cain!" she exclaimed, looking around. "Do you see him anywhere?"

Glitch opened his mouth - probably to ask who Cain was - but before he could say anything a familiar voice came from behind them. "You two okay?"

DG spun around. Cain was standing nearby, leaning slightly against a small tree. The man - person? creature? - she'd cut free was a few feet away, not meeting any of their gazes. Both of them were soaked to the bone and looking a little worse for the wear. Not that she was one to talk.

"I'm fine," Glitch said, jumping to his feet as if to prove his point. He paused, shivering slightly as a gust of wind blew past. "Well, maybe a little cold."

"That makes two of us," DG agreed. Glitch offered her his hand, and she gratefully took it as she pulled herself to her feet.

The stranger nodded, still not meeting any of their gazes. "Three."

DG and Glitch both glanced at Cain. He rolled his eyes. "I'll go start a fire," he said, turning his back of them and heading into the trees. It was hard to see, but DG thought that she saw him shiver slightly as well. "We should all probably get out of the open."

Another wave of shivers shook her body, and DG quickly started after him. A fire sounded like heaven. She'd get warmed up first . . . and then she'd find her parents.

And then, maybe, she could go home.


End file.
